SUBJECT: February 2023 - Provost Communication

Dear Colleagues,

Today is another sad day when, once again, we wake up to senseless violence and suffering. We grieve with our Spartan families. UM-Dearborn is holding the MSU community close in our hearts and we will come together tomorrow at 5:15 pm to hold a vigil in the Renick University Center in order to be together in community and share our care and support.

The Provost’s Walk and Talks just resumed yesterday. I warmly invite you to join me and your colleagues. Please help me in welcoming our new Registrar, Tracy Vogt, to our campus! Tracy started in her new role yesterday and to help her experience a smooth transition to her new role, I assembled an onboarding team who will be working with her in the next few months. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Susie Gassel, Angie Hernandez, Brian LaGoe, Soraya Patton, and Urana Pridemore for agreeing to join this team.

Here are a few reminders:

Important Dates

• Chancellor’s Reappointment Reception: Friday, February 17, 1:30 to 3:30pm in RUC
• Spring Break: Monday, February 27 to Friday, March 3rd
• Honors Scholars Convocation, Thursday, March 30th
• Commencement, Sunday, April 30th

Space Utilization Survey

A couple of weeks ago, campus facilities started a space utilization survey meant to gather data and assess our current use of space. Consistent with the findings of the Future of Work Task Force’s November Report, we know that many of us are working a more hybrid schedule. We are offering more online courses as compared with pre-2020 semesters and the number of course sections and enrolled students are less than they were prior to the start of the pandemic. Keeping in mind these changes to both how we use space as well as our strategic commitment to reduced carbon emissions and the importance of cost-savings, we want to effectively  assess our campus footprint. As the initial email mentioned, we are currently starting reassessment of space usage and the needs for  staff and faculty. This effort  requires everybody’s collaboration in order to make the best decisions for our campus.

Religious Holidays

As with each academic semester, there are many religious holidays (for example, Ramadan begins in early April) that will require us to remain flexible and accommodate student needs. Please remember the university has a policy in place to protect religious devotions and obligations.

Tea with the Provost

The Provost team will be hosting meetings with assistant professors, associate professors, full professors and lecturers. Dates and details will be announced shortly.

Early Warning System

Take advantage of our campus's early warning program which is designed to help to support student learning and success by identifying students who are in need of additional help.  All faculty can submit an early warning system. This link can also be accessed on the Faculty and Staff website, under “Grading and Course Resources” or the Early Warning webpage.  We encourage you to submit your alerts early in the semester, ideally before the selective drop date (March 16), to ensure the most options for your students’ success in the course.

Community Connected and Community Engaged Course Attributes

The Community Connected/Community Engaged-PBL Attribute Application is live now! In order to attach an attribute for a Fall 2023 course, please submit your application form by February 20, 2023. Please review this decision tree to assist in determining which attribute, resources, and possible next steps may apply.

ChatGPT

Understandably, there are many perspectives on this important and evolving topic. As a reminder, ChatGPT is a chatbot that can answer questions and assist with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code. The situation for ChatGPT, and other generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, is changing rapidly and therefore we are monitoring national conversations about what this means for higher education. Some faculty, concerned about Academic Integrity, have asked about AI detection tools. These tools are incredibly unreliable and do not have any “hard data” available for faculty to review. For that reason, it is unlikely that our campus will invest in tools that are faulty and could result in inaccurate or inequitable application to student work. More information can be found on the Hub’s new resource page: Generative AI at UM-Dearborn. Academic Integrity is important to the student/faculty relationship and a priority for the Provost Office.

Assessment Week - Save the Dates: March 10 - 15, 2023!

The Assessment Subcommittee presents the 5th annual Assessment Week! Join members of the subcommittee and your faculty colleagues in engaging conversations about student learning, assessing program outcomes, and continuous improvement in degree programs and the Dearborn Discovery Core (DDC). This year there will be a mix of in person, online events, and asynchronous materials available during March 10-15, 2023. Be on the lookout for a follow up email with registration links and details for the events.

Academic Success - Class Visits

The Office of Academic Success is available for class visits. Use this form to request a representative from OAS to visit your class and give a brief, 5-10 minute presentation about our services and how your students can make appointments with our different support centers. This includes the Math Learning Center, Science Learning Center, Writing Center, Supplemental Instruction, and Tutoring. Alternatively, if a visit doesn't work for your class this semester, please consider sharing these slides about OAS services with your students instead.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a relaxing and fun spring break!

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs